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Emma Langford wins RTE Folk Awards as the‘Best Emerging Folk Artist of the Year’. Pictured are Musician and actress Maria Doyle Kennedy and Emma Langford.

Emma Langford wins the‘Best Emerging Folk Artist of the Year’at  RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards

 

Emma Langford, Limerick singer-songwriter was announced as the‘Best Emerging Folk Artist of the Year’ at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.


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The award ceremony took place on Thursday, October 25 in Dublin and the whole award was live on RTÉ Radio 1. The event was hosted by presenters Ruth Smith and John Creedon. RTÉ Radio 1has produced five separate folk music documentaries, which were also broadcast in the run-up to the awards night.


Emma imbues her music with the soul and style of Joni Mitchell, Eva Cassidy, and Joan Baez; her distinctive vocal style demonstrates a blend of Irish lilt with folk and jazz. Her delicate guitar work complements an intuitive sense of melody, which is loved by music lovers.

Talking about winning the award, Emma Langford said “I cannot believe that I won the Best Emerging Folk Act at the inaugural RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards and Maria Doyle Kennedy presented my award to me and I got to breathe the same air as some musical royalty.” on her Facebook page.

“No word of a lie, I was in total shock when Maria Doyle Kennedy called out my name on the night. I was seated up front and centre in Vicar Street, and I was looking all around me at all the other nominees, waiting for any one of them to be announced the winner! ” said Emma.

The awards marked the endeavour creations of Emma Langford’s music. She said: ” The award means the world to me. As a kid I spent all my time daydreaming, singing, drawing – I never focused in class, my head was always in the clouds, and I think I really wore my teachers out. Every school report and parent-teacher meeting, I got the same feedback – ‘she has so much potential, she could do so well if she just put in the work’. I don’t think I ever really believed them.” Emma remained her kind of humour. She has shown her potential and endless creation in music, and arts and she is a member of the Limerick culture.
 
“Winning this award showed me that they were right, that when I care enough about something to work hard for it, I can achieve great things. I spend a lot of time feeling not good enough, but I feel like I’m where I’m meant to be now, ” she said.

 

Last year, Emma just released her debut album, Quiet Giant. The album showcases ten tracks, set against a stunning backdrop of strings, percussion and piano. Songs of the album dance lightly between genres, weaving a coming-of-age narrative that explores love, heartbreak, and wrestling with self-doubt.


Emma Langford’s insightful penmanship combined with a cheerful stage-demeanour prove a winning combination, creating an engaging live presence.

Emma said that she has been influenced by the other Irish folk singer, Lisa Hannigan who was originally from County Meath. In Lisa Hannigan’s songs, there is always a sense of the ocean, with her light and gentle voice, telling the stories from the ocean and her own recognition of love and life. Different from Lisa, Emma’s music pieces has the spirit of Shannon River since she comes from Limerick. Power, fairy tales of the city and her own understanding of Limerick culture. 

Limerick loves Emma Langford, as she put some kind of favour inside her songs about the city and her life.

“The support I’ve received here at home in Limerick has definitely encouraged me to persevere. I’ve written a lot of new songs about water, sailing, the ocean… Maybe the Shannon river has cast a spell on me.”

Sweet craics, poems and fairy tales could be found in Emma’s song.  Like most of the musicians, Emma Langford’s inspiration is never ending as she said that the “next song” would be the better one. “Songs are like secret children,” said Emma, “and inspiration never stops.” 

During the years, the alternative folk guitarist and singer-songwriter has been performing in a lot of wonderful gigs and some are charity gigs that Emma donated all of the proceeds from the events to local charities.

Congratulations, Emma!

For more information on Emma Langford, go here

For more stories on Emma Langford, go here

Emma Langford wins RTE Folk Awards as the‘Best Emerging Folk Artist of the Year’.

Emma Langford wins RTE Folk Awards as the‘Best Emerging Folk Artist of the Year’.

Emma Langford wins RTE Folk Awards as the‘Best Emerging Folk Artist of the Year’.

Emma Langford wins RTE Folk Awards as the‘Best Emerging Folk Artist of the Year’.

Emma Langford wins RTE Folk Awards as the‘Best Emerging Folk Artist of the Year’.

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Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.